Imperfections
by hccstrd.haddock
Summary: Astrid is enjoying a warm bath in her favorite hot spring on the Edge. What she doesn't know is that a certain auburn-haired Viking likes to bathe in the same place. And what she really doesn't know is that this little incident will inspire her to think about things she'd never allowed herself to consider before. Hiccstrid. RTTE Universe.
1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter 1_**

 ** _..._**

 **So...I got inspiration for this when I saw a post on tumblr saying, "I wonder if Hiccup and Astrid have ever accidentally seen each other naked." Well, here's my take on that. I separated this from my collection of oneshots because it leans towards more mature themes (at least this part...other parts...less so). I will be adding at least one more part to this, maybe two, so it'll end up as a two or three part fic. Anyway, the rating is high T. Enjoy:)**

 **...**

Astrid hummed softly to herself as she shed her clothes and stepped into her favorite hot spring on the Edge. At the feeling of the warm water on her achy muscles, she let out a contented sigh. Bathing in hot springs had always been one of her favorite things. Not only did she get to scrub off all the dirt and sweat that had collected on her body throughout the day, she also got to relax in steamy, bubbly water that never failed to soothe her.

Undoing her braid, the Viking girl dove beneath the surface to soak her golden blonde hair. Once she emerged, she waded over to the shoreline and, grabbing her bar of soap, lathered her hands. Her humming turned to singing as she distributed the lather throughout her hair. She then lifted herself up onto one of the large rocks on the grass and, letting her feet dangle in the bubbly spring, rubbed more soap between her palms and began to scrub the rest of her body.

"Thor's hammer."

Astrid froze at the sound of another Viking. This was _her_ hot spring. No one else knew about it. It was too hidden for anyone else to know about it. That is, anyone except _Hiccup._ And that's who was standing in the water, only a few feet away from her. She could clearly see his naked upper body - his _wet_ , naked upper body, and she guessed that she'd see _other things_ as well if he came all the way to shore. Although he still had the same slender figure that he'd had at fifteen, his slightly scarred muscles were lightly defined, and she could make out a faint six-pack forming on his glistening abs.

He had chest hair now, too. And Odin help her, it was perfect. There wasn't too much, but there also wasn't too little. Starting at his belly button, there was a thick trail of hair that disappeared into the water, indicating that what she couldn't see was even thicker. She let out a sigh of relief. Thank Thor that he had more hair "down there" than she did. It would've been awfully embarrassing if it'd been the other way around. Wait, who was she kidding? The situation was awfully embarrassing as it was.

With red cheeks, Astrid quickly grabbed her nearby towel and hugged it to her body. She wished that she could melt into the ground. Or the hot spring. Either would work. Hiccup had just seen her _completely naked_ , and a million thoughts were rushing through her head. Had he noticed that her breasts weren't perfectly round? Had he seen the birthmark on her stomach? Had he noticed that she was blonde "down there?" Of course he had, and that thought made her blush deeper. And what about the stretch marks on her thighs? No, he couldn't have seen those from a distance...she hoped.

She tried to shake off her concerns. Why was she so worried about his opinion, anyway? She was a shieldmaiden. She should be more worried about the fact that her purity was somewhat stained because of her mutton-headed idea to bathe outdoors. Sure, she was in a hidden spot, but that didn't necessarily guarantee that nobody would show up. It had been stupid of her to put herself in such a situation, and she should be cursing herself for it. But yet, she couldn't help being more concerned about what he thought of her body than worrying over the fact that something like this had happened.

"Erm...hey, Astrid," Hiccup's voice broke into her thoughts. "I'm uh...it's um...nice to see you."

"It's um...erm...it's nice to _see_ you, too, Haddock," the blonde responded. _Literally_ , she mentally added, still struggling to peel her eyes from his body.

"So erm...a sunset flight and dinner still sound good tonight?" He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke.

Astrid froze. She'd completely forgotten that Hiccup had suggested hanging out one-on-one earlier. Normally, she loved their little "dates" (if that's what one could call them), but after this? She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Um...Astrid?" the auburn-haired Viking prompted.

Astrid shook her head, as if she were trying to snap herself out of a trance. "Yeah, uh...yeah, it um...it still sounds good," she managed.

"Okay. Well, I uh...I...I'll go to the other side of the springs and erm...let you have some...um...some privacy, and I'll...I'll see you later."

The blonde managed a small nod. After watching Hiccup, who was by this point equally red-faced, disappear behind bushes at the far end of the water, she tossed her towel aside and quickly dove into the water. But her focus now wasn't on getting clean. It wasn't even necessarily on the embarrassing situation that had just occurred. It was on the tingly, desperate ache between her thighs. She wondered if he was experiencing the same sensation. He had to be. That is, if he was attracted to her. And if he was, he was probably visualizing her nakedness in his head as he touched himself to try to find relief. She smirked at that thought. For a minute, she considered trying to touch herself, too, but then remembered that the shieldmaiden code didn't allow for that sort of behavior, and quickly turned her mind back to bathing.

Once she finished getting clean, Astrid didn't spread out her towel and lie down to dry in the sun like she usually did. Chances are, if she did that, Hiccup would probably see her again. And if that happened, she'd not only have to deal with the earlier embarrassment a second time, she'd also have to explain her naked sunbathing to him (which really had no valid explanation). So instead, she simply climbed onto shore, toweled off, and dressed before hurrying to her hut to wait for the now-dreaded evening.

...

Hiccup couldn't get the image of Astrid's naked body out of his head. He'd thought about it before, just how all guys imagine what the girls they're interested in look like beneath their clothes. He'd even sketched out his ideas in his notebook (which Astrid would kill him for if she ever found out). But this time, things were different. The picture had been real. It had been right in front of him.

He'd imagined her to be beautiful. He'd imagined her to be flawless. Now, she wasn't flawless (the first example of this being her singing voice, which he nevertheless found cute in a way). She had lots of scars, her breasts weren't as full as he'd thought, and she had a noticeable birthmark by her belly button. But not flawless didn't mean less beautiful. In fact, her imperfections made her even _more_ appealing to him. He knew that _he_ was by no means perfect, and was relieved to find out that she wasn't, either. And those imperfections made her unique. If he ever got the chance, he would kiss all her scars, her birthmark, her small, rosy nipples, the blonde curls between her legs. _Those curls_. Oh, Thor's hammer! In a million years, he wouldn't have guessed that she was just as blonde "down there" as she was on her head. She was truly amazing, and the only regret he had from that encounter was that he hadn't gotten a good look at her butt.

Smirking to himself, Hiccup reached beneath the water and started to relieve his desperate erection. He needed to get it under control - and have it _stay_ that way - before he saw Astrid that evening. He knew that she'd feel awkward, and he would, too. But there was no way that he was going to let this little incident stand in the way of what they'd been building up for the past three years, since the night he'd taken her out on Toothless for the first time.

After finally feeling satisfied with his work, the young Viking started to wash. As he did so, he shifted his feelings from his reaction to Astrid's body to her reaction to his. She'd stared. There was no question about it. Astrid Hofferson had _stared_ at his abs. And if his imagination wasn't deceiving him, she'd smirked a little, too. She'd liked what she saw; there was no doubt about that.

 _She'd liked what she saw_.

Hiccup swallowed hard as he imagined what would've happened if they'd been a little more comfortable in the situation. She'd have come towards him, and placed her hands on his bare torso. She would've leaned in to kiss him, and he would've pulled her close and grabbed her butt. Her nipples would've rubbed against his chest, and she would've hooked a leg around one of his, allowing her most private area to rub against his thigh. And then...oh, gods, he would've taken her to the shore and they would've had sex. No, maybe not sex, as he'd never put her at risk for getting pregnant outside of marriage, but they would've messed around. He would've gotten to touch her, and feel her touch on him. They could've explored together. Learned together. He could've finally lived out his fantasies. The thought alone made him moan, and he reached beneath the water again.

He no longer saw any way that he was going to survive the upcoming evening.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

 ** _..._**

Astrid sighed as she finished re-braiding her hair for the fifth time. Hiccup would be coming to her door at any minute, and she wanted to look perfect (well, as close to perfect as she could get) for their evening together. She'd always grown up being told that she was the beauty of Berk, and for the longest time, she'd believed that she was indeed attractive. But recently, and especially after what had just happened at the hot spring, a sense of self-consciousness had settled in.

She wasn't sure why she cared so much about Hiccup's opinion. She was a shieldmaiden. She was first committed to defending Berk, and now the Edge. It was her duty. That was why she'd joined the Berk Guard, and started her auxiliary team of dragon riders - to put more effort into protecting the two islands she cared about the most. She didn't need a man. She _couldn't_ need one. She couldn't even _want_ one. She had to stay dedicated to being a warrior.

But Hiccup...Hiccup made her rethink all her decisions. He made her feel things that she didn't want to feel. He made her worry about whether or not her hair was neat. He made her want to dress in something more girly than her usual armor. And then he'd seen her naked, and all she could think about was whether or not he'd liked what he'd seen.

After placing her braid over her shoulder, Astrid used her hands to try smoothing the faint wrinkles out of her top.

 _Knock, knock_.

"Come in!" she called, rushing into her tiny living room. Her heart beat violently against her chest as she caught sight of Hiccup standing in the doorway with Toothless beside him.

"Good evening, milady," the auburn-haired Viking greeted with a grin. "You uh...you ready?"

"Uh...yeah," Astrid agreed hesitantly, playing with the end of her braid. "Let me just...let me just go grab Stormfly."

"Oh, erm..." Hiccup paused. "I was...I was actually hoping that you'd...that you'd ride on Toothless with me?" He gave the Night Fury a pat on the head, causing him to let out a purr.

The blonde blushed. "I...I can," she said with a shrug. "Do you...do you need me to bring anything to eat, or do you have it covered?"

"I got it," he replied. "Let's just...let's just go."

Without another word, Astrid followed her friend outside. There, the two of them mounted Toothless and rose into the air.

"You okay?" Hiccup asked after a spell of time had passed. The blonde wasn't cuddling into him like she normally did when they rode on the same dragon. She hadn't said anything, either, but was instead just silently sitting behind him.

Astrid bit her lip. "Yeah, I...I'm fine. Just...tired. That's all."

Those were the last words uttered before the two landed on a small, vacant island. The ground was covered in green grass, and there was a gentle river in the midst of trees and shrubs - a river that almost resembled the hot springs on the Edge.

The blonde blushed as, for the millionth time that day, the incident at the hot springs replayed inside her head.

"Here we are," the auburn-haired Viking announced, climbing off of Toothless.

Astrid silently followed him as he walked over to the trees. There, she helped him unpack the picnic things that were in Toothless' saddle bag.

"Astrid," Hiccup began once he was seated in the grass. "Can I ask you something?"

She gulped. What did he want to ask her? Would it be something about seeing her naked earlier? It had to be. What else would he be asking about that he seemed to think was so serious? "Uh...yeah...sure," she finally choked out, mechanically sitting down across from him.

"Are you...are you mad at me?"

Biting her lip, Astrid shied away from his gaze. "Of course not," she quickly replied. "I wouldn't have come out with you tonight if I was mad at you."

Silence settled over the pair for a minute.

"I...I'm sorry," Hiccup eventually said. "I...I should've looked away as soon as I saw you."

The blonde's face turned bright red. "It's not your fault," she insisted. "I should've...I should've known better than to erm...to uh...to take a bath there. I should've just...just done it inside my hut. You know, like everyone else does. Well, except...except you."

"I've always liked the outdoors." He handed a chicken sandwich to Astrid.

"Thanks," she said, taking a small bite out of the crust. It wasn't that she didn't like the food. No, Hiccup was way too good at cooking for her to dislike anything he made. It was that the awkwardness she was stuck in was ruining her appetite.

"You okay? Are you sure you're not mad?"

Astrid sighed. "I'm not mad," she assured. "It's just...it's just that now you know what I...what I look like naked, and..." With burning cheeks, she broke off.

"If it helps, I...I...well...I erm...I think you look just fine...um...naked."

She raised an eyebrow. What in Thor's name was that supposed to mean? Did it mean he thought she looked good? Or did it mean he simply found her body bearable to look at? If he'd only found it bearable, though, why wouldn't he have looked away sooner? He _had_ to have liked it.

"And uh...well..." He continued. "Well...if we...if you...if you marry me, like my...like my dad expects...it won't matter anymore because uh...well...you know." He paused to take a deep breath. "You know, because speaking with probability in mind, we'll be sharing a bedroom, and a washroom, and chances are that um...that I'll see you getting dressed, or undressed, or in the tub are...are considerably big...and well, my dad also expects an heir, so you know, I'll erm...well...the point of going through that process _is_ to uh...to...well, you know...share yourself."

The blonde put down her sandwich. "Hiccup, I'm a shieldmaiden. Why would your dad expect us to...to _marry_?" She spat out the last word. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard. Are you sure that _you're_ not the one who wants to...who wants to...to _marry_ me?"

Now, it was Hiccup's turn to blush. "Yeah, you uh...you...you got me there, Astrid. But my dad...my dad...well, he doesn't think it's a...he doesn't think it's a bad idea, and -"

"Do you not know what a shieldmaiden is?"

"I uh...I...of course I know. But I've also...I've also always been about bending the rules."

"Believe me, I know." Astrid rolled her eyes. "But this isn't something to bend the rules with, Hiccup. There's a big difference between being a virgin shieldmaiden who's never even...never even _touched herself_...never kissed anyone, never been in a relationship -"

"Are you forgetting about all those times you kissed me?"

"I was fifteen and careless," the blonde insisted. "A child being a foolish child. Now, I'm a woman. I'm mature. I know my role, and I know the rules of the game."

"Okay, okay. Let me back up a little. What if you just gave relationships a chance? You know, did sort of a trial with me. Not marriage, but...but courting. Just courting." Hiccup paused. "With clothes on, of course."

Astrid was silent. Courting didn't sound too bad. It didn't sound too bad at all. And it wouldn't really be _harmful_ , would it? She wouldn't be having sex. Great Odin, she wouldn't even have to kiss him. She could stick to hugs. Hugs were safe. And friends hugged, right? Of course they did. She already hugged Hiccup sometimes. The others, not so much, but she'd always been closer to Hiccup than to them. But then there was the problem of what would happen next. What if he asked her to move beyond a trial and into something more solid? What if she fell in love? And what if he asked her to marry him? The idea had obviously crossed his mind already. What if she ended up abandoning all that was sacred to her and becoming a wife and mother? She'd be labeled as Berk's most foolish shieldmaiden. Besides, she couldn't imagine herself being pregnant, giving birth, and raising babies. No, she wasn't cut out for that. Although she had to admit, their babies would be awfully cute, with their messy auburn hair and bright green eyes. Or would they take after her and be blonde with blue eyes?

"Oh, gods. I...I'm sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. "You don't have to if you don't want to," he quickly added.

"That's the problem. I want to, Hiccup. I...I like you. I like you a lot." She blushed. "And I'd love...I'd love to court. But my duty to Berk is to be a shieldmaiden...to be a warrior for Berk."

"I wouldn't mind having a warrior girlfriend. Or a warrior wife."

"But if it comes down to marriage, I'll have to give you an heir. And if I have a baby, and Thor forbid we'd have to go through a few daughters before we'd have a son, I'd be stuck as a housewife. Actually, whether we'd have kids or not, I'd still be stuck as a housewife. You're eventually gonna become Chief, and you'll need me to cook and clean for you because you'll be too busy. And we both know that I can't cook."

"Astrid, if you think I only want to be with you for your cooking -"

"If it's not so that I can cook for you, is it because you saw me naked and want to have sex with me now?"

"I wanted to have sex with you since we were fifteen," corrected Hiccup.

The blonde reached across the picnic blanket to slap her friend's arm. " _Fifteen_? Hiccup, I was barely even a woman then."

"Well, in my defense, I was a teenage boy. My hormones calmed down since then. But anyway, I don't want to be with you just for sex. Of course, if I marry you, it'll be something that I...that I look forward to, but there's more important things on my list, like having you as a second-in-command when I become Chief, and going on adventures with our dragons, and fighting alongside you in battle, and spending nights sitting by the shore and talking, and having you sleep next to me, and just being best friends."

Astrid bit her lip. It all sounded so tempting, and clearly, Hiccup had thought through what he wanted things to be like if he married her. And she'd be lying if she said that she'd never fantasized about marrying him, although she'd never admit it - not even to herself. "I...I think we should change the subject," she suggested. "How are your battle plans going? Are you and Toothless training on anything new?"


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_**

 ** _..._**

 **Yes, there will be a Part IV. This is going a bit differently than I imagined, but I like it:)**

 **...**

Hiccup knew that Stoick could only be asking him to make the long flight back to Berk for one reason: he had something serious to talk to him about. If the chief was just missing his son, or wanted to check up on him, he would've flown to the Edge. If there had been a war stating, he would've sent Gobber to bring back all six of the dragon riders on the Edge. But he hadn't done either of these things. Instead, Stoick sent a Terrible Terror airmail message to Hiccup, asking him to come to Berk as soon as possible.

The auburn-haired Viking sighed as he came close to his home island. He hoped everything was okay, but at the same time, he felt like Stoick wanted to talk about a "him" problem rather than a Berk problem. A million things flew through his head. What if he was going to tell him that he needed to start staying on Berk to help him with chiefing? What if he was going to be forced, for about the fifth time, to go through the battle training that all future chiefs went through? What if he was going to ask him to prepare for the Regatta? He hated the Regatta, and Stoick knew that. But that didn't mean he was ever able to get out of helping with it.

As he urged Toothless to land, Hiccup braced himself for all these things - plus more. But what he didn't brace himself for was what his father really wanted.

"Now listen, son," Stoick began after going through his usual greeting rituals with Hiccup. "In six months, you're going to be twenty, which means you'll be of age to become Chief. And as you know, all good chiefs have heirs, and to have an heir, well...you can make that connection yourself."

Hiccup's eyes widened. Stoick had asked him to come home so he could talk to him about _marriage_?

"Don't look so shocked, son. You knew this was coming. And I think Astrid will make a fine wife for you. She's strong, independent, and fierce. Not to mention, healthy. And you'll need a healthy woman to carry your babies, especially if they take after me." Stoick laughed.

The auburn-haired Viking forced himself to share his father's amusement for a brief moment before resuming his bewildered expression. "But Dad," he started.

"Oh, don't argue with me, Hiccup. Just ask her. I'm certain she'll say yes."

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "That's...that's kind of my dilemma, Dad," he stammered. "A couple months ago, I...I took her on a picnic and talked to her about it and she...she said no." His face turned red.

"She said no?" Stoick looked almost as disappointed as Hiccup was.

The younger Viking nodded. "She...she's determined to stay a shieldmaiden."

"Well, son, that's unfortunate. She would've been good for you."

"I...I know." Hiccup sighed.

"But you're going to have to marry someone."

Groaning, Hiccup allowed his face to fall into his hands. "Dad, I don't...I don't _want_ to marry anyone besides Astrid. I mean, who else is there, Ruffnut?" Hiccup wrinkled his nose. "She's not my type, and besides, she kinda has a thing for Fishlegs."

"No, you don't need to marry Ruffnut. I don't want her in the Haddock family any more than you do." Stoick shook his head. "But you don't have to just look on Berk, son. Deirdre Aumont from the Berserker tribe is a fine lass. She kind of reminds me of your mother when she was young."

"But Dad, I...I _love_ Astrid. I can't...I won't...I won't be able to marry another girl. Especially when I'm still gonna be seeing Astrid every day around the island."

Stoick placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Believe me," he started, slowly shaking his head. "I know how it feels to love someone and not be able to be with them. But a chief's first duty is to his people, and part of his duty is to ensure that the village has an heir."

"Can't I just...can't I just appoint someone to take over for me? Fishlegs' kids will probably be smart. And Snotlout is convinced he's gonna outlive me."

"No, son." Stoick shook his head. "It doesn't work that way."

The auburn-haired Viking sighed as he cast his eyes towards the ground.

"I'll send an invitation to the Berserkers to have Deirdre come visit," Stoick eventually said. "Maybe you'll have different feelings about this after you meet her."

...

Taking a deep breath, Astrid knocked on the door of the twins' hut. Ever since Hiccup had talked to her about marriage, she'd been thinking about what the outcome would've been if she hadn't let her pride and determination get in the way. Would they have been planning their wedding at this time? Would she have been happier than she was now? Or would she be resenting herself for agreeing to his proposal?

"What now, Astrid?" Tuffnut asked as he opened the door, Chicken tucked under one of his arms. "We fixed the lookout tower, we did our patrol, and we cleaned Barf and Belch's stall. Isn't that enough for you?"

"I'm not here to tell you to do more work," explained Astrid. "I'm here to talk to your sister about something."

"Like what?" Tuffnut raised an eyebrow.

"It's girl talk," Astrid said, her face turning ever-so-slightly red.

"Oh, so now that Heather's gone, you think that Ruffnut is going to be your go-to person to gossip with?"

Astrid groaned. "Just let me talk to her, Tuff."

"Alright." Tuffnut turned around. "Hey, sis!" he yelled up the stairs. "Astrid wants to talk to you!"

A minute later, Ruffnut appeared outside. "What do you want, Astrid?"

"You were married to Fishlegs for a day," began Astrid as she grabbed Ruffnut's arm and started pulling her away from the twins' hut.

"And?"

"And I need some advice from someone who's had relationship experience...and by someone, I mean you."

Ruffnut started to laugh, but stopped when her friend cast her a glare.

"So," Astrid said. "Hiccup...well, Hiccup...he talked to me about marrying him."

"It's about time," Ruffnut responded.

"What?"

"It's about time. I mean, _clearly_ he's into you. And _clearly_ you're into him. In fact, Tuff even thinks you guys did the do."

Astrid's cheeks turned red. "What? No. That is absolutely _not_ true."

Ruffnut shrugged. "I never said it was true, I just said that Tuff thinks it is."

"Well, he's wrong. But anyway, Hiccup talked to me about marrying him. And I...I'm not completely against the idea, but as you know - or should know - I'm a shield maiden. I'm not supposed to marry."

"So what I'm hearing is that you aren't gonna become Mrs. Haddock?"

"That's why I wanted to talk to you. I don't know. I want to stay a shield maiden. I already committed to it, and I hate breaking commitments, but at the same time, I...I do have feelings for Hiccup, and I...I want to be with him."

"Do you love him?"

"What?"

"Do you love him?"

Astrid looked at the ground. "I...I don't know. Love is a strong word."

"Well, then you answered your own question. No love, no marriage. That's why Fish and I got divorced when you and Hiccup said that Tuff wasn't a real officiator. We liked each other, but I don't think love was really in the air. We might give it a second shot some other time, though."

Nodding, Astrid gave a small smile. Ruffnut had a point. But now, her new dilemma was this: did she love Hiccup? If so, did she love him simply as a friend, or did she love him as something more? She obviously _liked_ him as something more. But love? She wasn't entirely sure, mostly because she didn't know what being in love felt like. "Thanks, Ruff," she managed to say.

"No problem. Anytime you want to talk about this again, just let me know. I'll be happy to gossip with you."

Astrid was about to say that her conflict wasn't gossip, but then thought better of it. Ruffnut had given her advice, and for that, she was grateful.

"Well, I'll see you later, Astrid," Ruffnut said. "I gotta go help Tuff give Chicken a bath."

"See you," Astrid returned before heading back to her hut.

"Astrid!"

The blonde turned to see Hiccup running towards her, Toothless following close behind. "Hiccup! You're back!"

Without warning, the auburn-haired Viking threw his arms around Astrid and drew her close to him.

"What was that for?" queried Astrid once the embrace ended. It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed it. No, she'd _loved_ it. Hiccup hugs were always welcome. However, they were few and far between, so the sudden gesture he'd shown had shocked her. "Is everything...is everything okay back on Berk?"

"Everything's fine," Hiccup responded with a small chuckle. "I just...I just missed you, that's all."

"Yeah, I...I missed you, too," she said.

"Wanna come to my hut tonight?" he asked suddenly. I'm making mutton stew, and I still have leftover pie from the other day. We could, you know, eat and hang out."

"Sure," agreed Astrid, an effortless smile brightening her face. "I'd love that."


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

 ** _..._**

Sighing, Hiccup gave Toothless a scratch behind the ears. He was currently on his second visit to Berk for that month. This time, Stoick had called him back to meet Deirdre. The younger Viking wasn't too keen on the idea, but he'd decided to humor his father and give the girl a chance. However, the idea of meeting her somehow felt wrong to him. He felt like he was being disloyal to Astrid. He felt like he was trying to replace her. And in his mind, nobody could take Astrid's place in his heart.

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup groaned at the sound of Stoick's voice. "Coming!" Giving Toothless one last pat on the head, he made his way out of his room and down the stairs. When he reached the living room, he saw his father standing beside a young girl. She was petite, probably only reaching five feet, and had a light brown braid that draped across her left shoulder. Her thin hands were clasped in front of her, and her grey eyes were focused on the ground.

"Hiccup, this is Deirdre," Stoick introduced, nodding in the girl's direction. "Deirdre, this is Hiccup."

"Nice to meet you." The auburn-haired Viking managed with forced a smile.

"You, too," Deirdre's responded in a quiet voice. Her eyes didn't leave the floor.

"Well," Stoick began, "I'll go ahead leave you two alone now." Grabbing his axe, he headed out the door.

Letting out a sigh, Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "So Deirdre, how uh...how do you like Berk so far?"

For the first time, Deirdre lifted her head. "I...It's okay." She shrugged. "There's...there's just a lots of dragons."

"Yeah, that's erm...that's kind of what we're known for."

"Yeah."

Silence swept over the room.

"I'm sorry," Deirdre eventually said. "I just...I don't know what to say." She shrugged her slim shoulders.

"Yeah, me, neither," Hiccup responded, a bit more harshly than intended. It wasn't that he disliked Deirdre; he just disliked the idea of being forced into marriage with her.

The two stood in silence for a few minutes.

"Well, I uh...I guess I should show you around the island," Hiccup decided. Turning towards the stairs, he called, "Toothless!"

Within seconds, the Night Fury came bounding down the staircase, causing Deirdre to burst into tears and hide behind a nearby chair.

Hiccup tried to suppress an eye roll. He could tolerate the girl's shyness, but he couldn't tolerate her weakness. If she was going to be the wife of a chief, she needed to grow some thicker skin. And, more importantly, she needed to learn to like dragons. After all, Hiccup and Toothless came as a package.

"It's okay. He's harmless," the auburn-haired Viking coaxed.

Deirdre shook her head.

"He won't hurt you. I promise."

"Can't we...can't we just go...go without him?"

Hiccup sighed. "We could, but it's gonna take a lot longer to look around. Berk is bigger than it seems."

"That's...that's okay. I don't mind. Just so long as you don't make me get on your dragon."

Suppressing an eye roll, Hiccup commanded Toothless to go back upstairs. He then waited while Deirdre slowly removed herself from her hiding place and smoothed her clothes. "Ready?" he asked when she finally looked up at him.

Deirdre nodded before allowing Hiccup to lead her out the door. Once outside, they were immediately greeted by a Monstrous Nightmare, causing Deirdre to shriek and clutch her new companion's arm.

Hiccup tried not to groan as he shooed the dragon away. This was going to be one long island tour.

...

"Hiccup should've been back to Edge by now," Astrid said, looking out over the horizon in hopes of seeing the Viking in question riding in on his Night Fury.

"Maybe he found a new dragon on the way," suggested Fishlegs. "You know how he gets when he finds new dragons."

"Yeah, but he was due back three days ago."

"I wouldn't worry," Snotlout cut in. "He's always saying he can handle himself and doesn't need us, so -"

"When has Hiccup ever said that?" questioned Astrid.

"He's said it in his head."

Astrid and Fishlegs both stared at Snotlout.

"What? You don't believe me?" the dark-haired Viking asked.

Before the other two could speak, Ruffnut and Tuffnut ran up to the group, Chicken and Barf and Belch trailing behind.

"Guess what? Guess what?" Tuffnut said.

"What?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hiccup -"

"Hey! I wanted to tell them!" Ruffnut cut in.

Tuffnut crossed his arms over his chest. "We agreed five minutes ago that I would tell them. Isn't that right, Chicken?" He looked over at the bird, who was preoccupied with eating seeds off the grass. "Chicken?"

Chicken looked up and let out a noise.

"See? Told you. But anyway, you know how Hiccup was supposed to be back on the Edge by now?"

"Yeah, what about it? Is something wrong?" Astrid's eyes widened. What if Hiccup had run into danger on the way back? What if he needed her - no, needed _them_ \- as backup? What if he was injured?

"No, I wouldn't say there's anything _wrong_. It's just...it's just freaking weird."

"What?" Astrid demanded.

"There's some chick from the Berserker tribe visiting him," Ruffnut said.

Tuffnut clapped his hand over his sister's mouth. "What did I say? I said that _I_ was going to tell them!"

"A girl?" questioned Astrid, ignoring the twins' bickering.

"Yeah, Stoick's trying to set her up with Hiccup, I think."

Ruffnut pried Tuffnut's hand from her face. "And rumor has it, they might get married," she added.

Astrid's heart instantly started racing, and the color drained from her face. Her breathing had suddenly grown heavy, and her hands involuntarily balled into tight fists. "M-married?" she finally managed to choke out.

"It's not fair," Snotlout said. "Why is Hiccup getting married and I'm not?"

"I don't think that's true," Fishlegs suggested. "I mean, it just doesn't sound right. Why would Hiccup suddenly agree to marry a stranger? That's not like him."

"Believe what you wanna believe." Tuffnut shrugged. "I know what I heard."

"And who did you hear this from?" the plump Viking asked.

"We heard it from Johann. He was here a little while ago. Brought us our favorite squid ink. I'd give you some, but we kinda used it to paint our room."

Astrid relaxed a bit. Everyone knew that Trader Johann exaggerated. There was probably just a group of Berserkers visiting Berk, and a girl of Hiccup's age just so happened to be with them.

At least, that's what she hoped.

...

"Well, the meeting's out of the way," Stoick was saying. "Now all we need to do is sign the contract and start planning the wedding."

Hiccup groaned. "Dad, I don't wanna marry Deirdre. I...I _can't_ marry Deirdre."

"You'll come around to her," the chief assured, briefly placing a hand on his son's shoulder.

"It's not about coming around to her, Dad. It's about the fact that we're not compatible. I mean, she wouldn't even ride Toothless. And she's too quiet. Astrid -"

"You can't compare her to Astrid. They're two different lasses."

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Hiccup's voice rose. "Deirdre doesn't like Toothless. Actually, she doesn't like dragons at all. She's scared of them."

"She'll get used to the beasts."

"But how do you know?"

"If I learned to like them, anyone can." Stoick chuckled.

The auburn-haired Viking frowned. "But you were never scared of them. You just killed them."

"Because I grew up with them. She didn't. Just be patient with her, son."

"Dad," Hiccup began. "Listen to me. I don't love Deirdre!" He tossed his hands in the air.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be in love after a day. Things like this take time."

"Then why are you trying to make me marry her?"

"It's your duty as Chief to have a wife and an heir. If you'd rather marry Bertha from Dark Island -"

"Eww, Dad. No." Hiccup wrinkled his nose. Bertha was a thirty-year old woman who rarely spoke, never smiled, and was known for killing two Vikings in her village.

"Well, then, that settles it. I'll make the announcement about you and Deirdre this weekend."


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5_**

 ** _..._**

Hiccup immediately wanted to fly back to the Edge, but Stoick insisted that he remain on Berk to spend time with Deirdre and help to get the wedding preparations in order. Reluctantly, he'd agreed to stay put for another five or six days, but only because he hoped to convince his stubborn father to sway his decision about the marriage. So far, he'd been unsuccessful, but he figured there had to be _some_ way to get him to budge. And if there wasn't? Well, Hiccup took that into consideration, and began considering his options.

The first option was to openly defy Stoick, and refuse to say "I do" when the time came. The second option was to leave right away and permanently stay on the Edge. The third option was to go to the Edge and talk to Astrid about giving marriage a second thought. But there was a downside to all three of those choices. If he picked the first one, it would cause chaos both within his home and outside of it. If he picked the second option, there was an almost certain chance that Stoick would just fly to him. And if he picked the third option. he ran the risk of being too pushy, and scaring Astrid away for good.

Sighing, the auburn-haired Viking sank onto his bed and buried his face in his hands. "What should I do?" he asked himself. "What should I -" He broke off as Toothless gave him a comforting nuzzle on the arm. "Thanks, bud."

Toothless let out a quiet purr.

"Yeah, bud, you're right. I'll figure it out. I just -"

"Hiccup!" Stoick's booming voice broke into his son's thoughts.

The auburn-haired Viking groaned. "Yeah, Dad?" he called.

"Come downstairs, son. Your future wife is here to see you."

Hiccup groaned again, this time a bit louder than before. "I um...I can't. I uh...I'm not feeling well." He faked a coughing fit.

"What do you mean you're not feeling well? You were fine earlier."

"That was then, Dad. This is now." It was then that Hiccup knew he had to leave. He had to leave before Stoick came upstairs and pushed him into moving forward with the dreaded wedding plans. He had to leave before he was forced to entertain Deirdre. He had to leave for the sake of his own sanity.

"Come on, bud," he whispered to Toothless as he climbed onto his back. "Let's go."

The loyal Night Fury quietly escaped through the window, and began flying his rider in the direction of the Edge.

...

For probably the fiftieth time in a row, Astrid pulled her axe from the tree, backed up, and threw it again. Hot tears poured down her cheeks, and the knots in her stomach tightened. She'd thought Hiccup's planned marriage had been a joke. That is, until Fishlegs had gone to Berk for supplies, heard all about it, and related the information to the dragon riders on the Edge. Astrid trembled at the memory. She hated Deirdre, she hated Stoick, and she hated Hiccup. No, that was an exaggeration. She couldn't hate Hiccup. But she was upset with him. She was his closest friend. He shouldn't have kept the news from her. He should've told her what was going on right away.

 _But why?_

Hiccup wasn't committed to her; they weren't in a relationship. They were just friends. Of course, he had talked to her about becoming more than friends, but she'd rejected him. _She'd rejected him_. Suddenly, it hit her. _She_ was the one responsible for this. If only she'd agreed to try courting when he'd brought it up. If only she hadn't been so alarmed at the prospect of marriage. If only she hadn't let her pride get in the way. But she had. And now, she was suffering from the consequences.

Sighing, Astrid grabbed her axe and sank onto the ground, thoroughly overwhelmed and exhausted. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, but new tears came as soon as the old ones hit her hand. But why was she so upset? Her mind wandered back to the conversation she'd had with Ruffnut. Ruffnut had asked if she loved Hiccup. At the time, Astrid had said that love was a strong word. But now, she was starting to believe the truth.

 _She was in love with Hiccup._

She hasn't acknowledged her feelings before because she hadn't let herself. She'd been too guarded, too focused on staying a shieldmaiden, to see what was right in front of her. It also hadn't occurred to her before that if she didn't want Hiccup, he would find someone else. It sounded ignorant of her, but she hadn't been thinking clearly. She'd just thoughtlessly assumed that Hiccup would stay single forever, that they'd always be best friends, that she could always hug him, always talk to him about what was on her mind, always knock on his door when she was lonely. She'd never considered that another girl would take her role, would give Hiccup the companionship he needed as future Chief, and would give birth to his children.

Astrid clenched her hands into tight fists at the last thought. She couldn't bear the thought of Hiccup sleeping with another girl. She couldn't stand to think of him being a father to a baby that wasn't hers. Wait, what was she thinking? She didn't want kids. Even if she _did_ agree to marry Hiccup, she didn't want to be a mother. But if they were _his_... She thought again, as she'd thought once before, about how cute the babies would be.

"Astrid?" That was Fishlegs. "Astrid, the twins are about to blow up Snotlout's hut! I need your help!"

Taking her axe, Astrid ran deeper into the woods as Fishlegs' footsteps grew closer. She couldn't risk letting anyone see her cry. Not to mention, she wasn't in the mood to deal with childish behavior. As she reached an open area - the area at which the hot springs were located - she stopped.

"Don't worry, I can leave if you wanna take a bath," a familiar voice said.

The blonde looked in the direction of the sound to see Hiccup sitting beside a rock, Toothless curled up beside him. "Hiccup?"

"Yeah, Astrid, it's me. How's life on the Edge been? Has - oh, gods. Your eyes are red. Have you been...have you been crying?"

Astrid thought about lying, but she knew that the tear stains on her cheeks wouldn't do a good job of helping her in her fib. Reluctantly, she nodded as she made her way over to sit beside Hiccup, who laid a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

For a minute, Astrid couldn't speak. All she could manage to do was stare at the water before her. "You're...you're getting married," she responded eventually.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Fishlegs told me. He said...he said he heard about it when he flew to Berk the other day." The blonde fought back the tears that were threatening to spring into her eyes again. "According to him, there's some girl named Deirdre, and -"

"I'm not getting married."

"What?"

"I'm not getting married. I mean, my dad wants me to, but I'm not gonna do it. At least not to her." Hiccup shook his head. "She won't even get onto Toothless. And besides, I don't love her."

"It sounds like Stoick doesn't just _want_ you to. It sounds like he's already planning the wedding."

"And that's why I'm back here."

"You do know that he can just come get you, right?"

"Of course I know. That's why I'm running away."

Astrid's eyes grew wide. "What? Running away? Hiccup -"

"I know, I know. It sounds crazy," the auburn-haired Viking interrupted, throwing his hands out in front of him. "But I have to, Astrid. I'll never be able to live with myself if I let myself get caught up in this marriage."

The blonde bit her lip. "Where will you go?"

Sighing, Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "You see, that's the problem. I...I don't exactly know where to go. I mean, I'll probably head up north, I guess."

"But it's dangerous up north," insisted Astrid. "Every time we go up there, something happens, whether it's finding the skrill, or dragon hunters, or -"

"But I'll have Toothless. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, a dragon with a broken tail and a one-legged Viking will be fine." Astrid rolled her eyes.

"We will. Just...just don't tell anyone where I am."

"I won't."

"Good."

"Because I'm going with you."

...

Hiccup and Astrid left in the middle of the night. They'd told their friends they were going out for a late flight before everyone had gone to bed, and added that they probably wouldn't be back until noon of the following day. That way, they'd have enough time to get fairly far before anyone started looking for them.

"Is it just me, or is it really cold up here?" Astrid asked through chattering teeth. Despite the arm warmers and lined boots she'd put on, the frigid air was still managing to slice through her skin.

"It's a little chilly," Hiccup responded.

"Well, I'm freezing."

"You can hop onto Toothless with me if you want," the auburn-haired Viking invited as he glanced over to see Astrid shivering violently.

"I think I might take you up on that." Astrid guided Stormfly to a height that was level with the Night Fury, then jumped onto Toothless' back. Wrapping both her arms and legs around Hiccup, she cuddled into his back and buried her frozen nose into his shoulder.

Hiccup smiled. He loved when Astrid snuggled up to him while they were flying. There was no better feeling than being on the back of Toothless, soaring through the air, with his best friend pressed against him. "Better?" he asked.

The blonde nodded against him.

The little group flew until daybreak. It was then that Hiccup decided the dragons needed a break, and thought it was about time that he and Astrid had breakfast. Astrid, however, didn't care about the meal. She was fast asleep, her arms still encircled around her friend.

"Hey," Hiccup began once he'd landed on a small, peaceful-looking island. "Astrid." He gave one of her hands an affectionate squeeze.

The blonde's eyes cracked open. "Hmm?"

"We just landed. The dragons need to rest. And I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

"Me, too," Astrid yawned, slowly detaching herself from Hiccup. Sliding off of Toothless, she stretched before heading over to Stormfly.

The auburn-haired Viking led Toothless to a nearby stream. "Alright, bud. Get a drink. Find some fish if you want, too." He scratched the Night Fury behind the ears.

"Hiccup! Hiccup, look!"

Hiccup turned to see Astrid pointing in the direction of a giant, owl-like dragon coming close to the ground. This dragon was larger than any land dragon he'd ever seen. It had four massive wings, a large head, and an exceptionally long, round body. And if that wasn't intimidating in itself, a rider in full head-to-toe costume was on its back, a stick clutched in his hand. "What in the name of Thor?"

"Dragon hunters!" the rider exclaimed. It was then that Hiccup realized the rider was a _she_ , not a _he_. "The Night Fury!" As the dragon landed, the stranger stepped onto the ground.

"What?" Astrid summoned Stormfly to come close to her.

"Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup commanded.

Toothless, who was at his rider's side, obeyed.

"The Night Fury," the stranger repeated, inching closer to Hiccup.

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled, sprinting over to her friend's side.

At the mention of Hiccup's name, the mysterious rider put down her stick and removed the mask that hid her face. It was then that Hiccup and Astrid got a good look at her. She had light green eyes and gentle features, and her long brown hair was fixed into a braid.

"Who...who are you?" Hiccup asked.

The stranger inched closer, causing him to back up. "Hiccup?" she said, her eyes fixing on a scar on his chin. He'd had that scar ever since he could remember, but he didn't know why the newcomer was so interested in it.

"How...how do you..."

"Stay away from him!" Astrid demanded, running over to Stormfly and pulling her axe out of her saddle bag.

"I...I can't believe it," the rider breathed, a smile breaking out into her face and tears filling her eyes. "Is...is it really you, after all these years!"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Should I...should I know you?"

The stranger's smile suddenly faded. "You don't...you don't remember me?" She sighed. "Well, I suppose I should've expected that. You _were_ only a babe, after all."

"Can you just tell me who you are?" Hiccup continued to back away.

"My baby," the rider whispered, her tears spilling out onto her cheeks. "My son!" Without warning, she pulled the auburn-haired Viking into a tight, motherly embrace and kissed his cheeks.

Astrid's mouth fell open, and she slowly dropped her axe onto the ground beside her.

Hiccup wanted to resist, but at the same time, he felt comfort from the stranger's affection - a comfort he'd constantly longed for when he was a child.

"Stoick, Chief of Berk...he's my husband," the rider revealed as she ended the embrace. "And I'm his wife, Valka. And you, Hiccup...you're...you're our son."

Hiccup's eyes nearly jumped out of his head. "What? What do you mean? You're supposed to be dead! Dad said -"

"Shhh," hushed Valka, placing a finger to her son's lips. "Come with me. Quietly."

Still in a state of confusion, Hiccup's gaze darted around until it finally rested on Astrid. "Wherever you're taking me, erm...Valka...Astrid's coming, too."

Valka briefly looked in the blonde's direction before turning back to Hiccup. "Very well. She can come with us."

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Thank you...uh...thank you, Valka."

"It's Mom," corrected Valka as she began walking to her dragon. "Now, let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6_**

 ** _..._**

 **So, just wanted to announce I have a tumblr now! Tumblr name is crazy4dragons. Also, a guest reviewer asked why I don't reply to my reviews. I can't reply to guests, and I don't want to take up space responding before each chapter. If users are signed in and have a question, I try my best to respond.**

 **...**

"Where are we going?" Hiccup asked as he mounted Toothless.

"Just come," urged Valka. "And hurry." Climbing onto her dragon, she flew into the air.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged bewildered glances before following Valka's lead. They both had loads of questions they were dying to ask, but managed to hold their tongues for the duration of the two hour flight.

"Here we are," Valka announced, signaling for the two younger Vikings to follow her in her descent onto an ice-covered island. "Welcome to my home."

Upon landing, the little group was surrounded by dragons of all ages and species - some species that Hiccup and Astrid only knew about because of the Book of Dragons, and some they'd never heard of at all.

"You...you _live_ here?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Valka let out a contented sigh. "I've lived here in this sanctuary for almost twenty years, taking care of dragons and training them to be the best that they can be. But enough about me. You two dears are probably starving." She took Hiccup and Astrid to a small hut, in which there was nothing except a shabby bed, a kitchen, and a poorly built chair. "I don't spend much time indoors. And I haven't cooked in a while, so forgive me if the food isn't what you're used to. I've been eating with the dragons lately."

Astrid glanced out the window beside her to see Stormfly and Toothless frolicking about with Valka's dragon. "So Valka, what kind of dragon do you ride?"

"A Stormcutter. His name is Cloudjumper," the older woman responded.

"I've heard of Stormcutters!" Hiccup exclaimed, joining Astrid at the window. "But I've never seen one before."

"Well, now you have." Valka smiled. "By the way, what are you darlings hungry for? Do meatballs sound alright?"

"Yeah, that sounds great, Mom," said Hiccup.

"Then meatballs it is."

"Do you need any help?" Astrid offered. "I can help if you want."

Valka shook her head. "I'll manage. But thank you, um...what's your name again, dear?"

"Astrid. Astrid Hofferson."

Turning around, Valka stared at Astrid with wide eyes. "You're Astrid Hofferson? I remember when you were a babe. Your mother had you just two months before Hiccup was born. She was only seventeen. She was really sick while she was pregnant, and died when you were a week old." Valka shook her head. "She was my best friend."

"I'm sorry," said Astrid, her voice full of sympathy.

"It's okay. She's probably better off in Valhalla than she was on Berk. The poor girl didn't have a good life at all." Valka sighed before turning back to her food. "But anyway, onto happier things. I'm assuming you and Hiccup are planning on getting married?"

The two young Vikings exchanged startled looks.

"Oh, no. We're not...we're not ready for that yet," answered Hiccup, rubbing his neck. "And besides, Dad is trying to marry me off to a girl from the Berserker tribe."

"I see, son. Have you met her yet?"

Hiccup told Valka the story of his situation, including everything from his informal proposal to Astrid, to his decision to run away. "And that's why you found us this far from home," he concluded. Although he'd just met Valka (or rather, re-met her), he felt strangely at ease. It was almost as if he'd lived with her his whole life.

"Oh, my," Valka said. "Well, you darlings are welcome to stay here as long as you want. But I do need to warn you that there's been dragon hunters around lately. They say they're looking for the Night Fury."

"More dragon hunters?" Astrid questioned.

"I thought after Viggo died -" Hiccup started.

"Viggo was never in control," Valka interrupted. "A man named Drago Bludvist is. He's cruel and merciless, and wounds dragons - _tortures_ them - before putting them to death." She sighed. "A lot of my dragons are rescued from him. The poor things were all so scared at first, and some of them still don't like me to get too close to them."

"Wait just a second," said Hiccup. "Who exactly is this Drago Bludvist? And where does he live?"

"I don't know where he lives. He doesn't often show himself. But his hunters are all over. They come in ships, and try to take my dragons. But thanks to the Alpha, they've never been able to."

"The Alpha?" Astrid questioned.

"Yes, the great Bewilderbeast. The king of all dragons."

"Be-what?" Hiccup asked.

"The Bewilderbeast. He protects us. I'll introduce you to him later."

"So, tell me more about Drago," the auburn-haired Viking encouraged, changing the subject back to villains.

"I don't know much more about him," admitted Valka. "But I do know that he uses the skin of dragons he kills to make clothes. He himself wears a Night Fury cape." She shook her head. "By the way, what does your father think of your Night Fury friend? Does he know?"

Hiccup excitedly began to relate the story of how he met Toothless and introduced dragons to Berk.

"So all this time you took after me," Valka remarked. "And it sounds like you were more successful in making peace with the dragons than I was. I'm proud of you, son." By this time, she was placing her meatballs onto a plate. "Come dears, help yourselves."

Suddenly realizing how hungry they were, Hiccup and Astrid rushed over to the plate of food. However, upon taking their first bites, they found that the meatballs looked a lot better than they tasted.

"I'm sorry. I'm out of practice," Valka apologized, evidentially seeing the expressions on the younger Vikings' faces.

"It's okay, Mom. At least it's something," reassured Hiccup.

After they finished eating, Valka invited her son and Astrid to get settled into the hut. "And you can sleep in my bed if you want. It might be a little crowded for both of you to fit into, but it does get cold at night, so you dears might not mind being close."

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged shy glances.

"And if you ever want time to yourselves, just let me know so I don't walk in on you."

The two younger Vikings blushed deeper.

"Mom, we're not...we're not doing _that_ ," insisted Hiccup.

"Well, I never do know with you young ones. But I'm glad to hear you're putting it off for now. I'm too young for grandbabies."

...

Hiccup awoke the next morning to find his nose buried in Astrid's hair and one of his arms draped over her middle. His free hand was trapped between both of hers, and she was hugging it under her chin. For a moment, he was thrown into a state of confusion. Was this real? Or was he dreaming?

The auburn-haired Viking yawned and stretched as best he could, considering that he was cuddled close to Astrid. It was then that, glancing around the hut, everything came back to him: running away, discovering his mother (or rather, being discovered by her), learning about Drago Bludvist, and meeting the Bewilderbeast. He wondered if anyone had left yet to look for him and Astrid. Chances were, his friends on the Edge had. But whether or not anyone had told Stoick about his disappearance was up for debate.

Deciding to check if Toothless was awake, Hiccup carefully pulled his hand out of his friend's grasp. Kissing her head, he fastened his metal leg before venturing outside. Sure enough, his dragon was up, and was already being spoiled by Valka.

"Good morning, Mom," Hiccup greeted.

Valka turned from her task of feeding the dragons to look at her son. "Good morning, son. You're just in time for breakfast. Is Astrid awake yet?"

"No. She's not really a morning person." Hiccup joined his mother in throwing fish to the hungry dragons.

"Toothless is beautiful," Valka remarked, stroking the Night Fury's head. "And did you know that he's your age? It's no wonder you two are such a good pair."

Toothless let out a low purr.

Hiccup smiled. "You can tell a dragon's age?"

"Oh, yes. Dragons have many secrets. And I'll show them all to you." She took a fish and bit into it. "By the way, make sure you get some food before they eat it all."

Hiccup frowned. He didn't care for fish, much less raw fish. He was more of a mutton kind of Viking.

"You don't like fish?" Valka guessed. "That's okay. I have some bread in the hut. You're welcome to have some of that."

"Thanks, Mom." He breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll have some later. I'm going to take Toothless out for a morning flight first."

"By all means, dear. Just don't stray too far. If Drago's men are out there, I don't want them to catch you."

"I'll be careful," Hiccup promised as he climbed onto Toothless' back. Within seconds, he was in the midst of the clouds. It was there that he reclined, allowing the Night Fury to take control of where they went, and thought about his situation. As much as he loved his mother's place, he knew he couldn't hide there forever. Too many people would look for him. But then again, Valka had yet to be discovered, so maybe it was possible. And as the Chief's wife, she had the authority to wed him and Astrid, meaning that if the blonde decided she was ready for marriage, a wedding could easily be arranged, and they could live in peace.

But then there was Drago, and could the dragons - especially Toothless - really be safe there? Hiccup wasn't sure, and the last thing he wanted to do was endanger his best friend. And besides, if he knew anything about Astrid, it was that she wouldn't want to live in isolation forever. She was the kind of person who'd rather be somewhere like Berk, where she could train for battles and protect others. At Valka's home, the dragons did the majority of the protecting on their own. Apart from Cloudjumper, none of them were trained to work with a rider. There were just too many for Valka to ride them all.

"Good morning, Hiccup." A familiar voice broke into Hiccup's thoughts. Sitting up, he saw Astrid and Stornfly flying beside him.

"Well, look who finally decided to get up," the auburn-haired Viking grinned.

"You left me in bed," complained Astrid."

"Hey, just because _you_ like to sleep all day -"

"I don't sleep all day, you muttonhead!" The blonde retorted. She then fell silent for a few minutes before saying, "But anyway, the reason I came to find you is that we need to talk. I mean, if that's okay with you."

"Of course," Hiccup answered. "What's on your mind?"

"How long are we planning to stay here?"

"I haven't really decided yet. I mean, forever would be nice, but I don't think that's an option."

"No, it's not. As great as this place is, and as nice as your mom is, you're the future Chief, and Berk needs you. And the Edge needs you. Not to mention, your dad is probably freaking out right now."

"We'll stay until he agrees not to make me marry Deirdre. Or at least, _I'll_ stay. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Are you kidding? I'm not leaving you."

Hiccup smiled.

"But just how long do you think it'll take Stoick to change his mind?"

"I don't know. But if I come back married -"

Astrid sighed. "I'm still not sure about the whole marriage thing."

"I'm sorry," apologized Hiccup. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's okay." She paused. "I know you want to marry me. I just feel bad that I'm not ready."

"To be honest, I'm not really ready, either." He sighed. "I mean, it's a big commitment, and I don't know if now is the time to be making it."

"I agree. And part of me...part of me still feels like I should be a shieldmaiden. It's...it's all so confusing." Astrid shook her head. "By the way, are you gonna tell Stoick about Valka?"

"Oh, gods. I haven't even thought about that." Covering his face, Hiccup groaned. "You know what? Let's just hold onto that idea for now. We'll worry about it when the time comes."

"You know, Hiccup, you can't just keep running from your problems."

"I'm not _running_ from my problems," the auburn-haired Viking insisted. "I'm _flying_ from them."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "That's not much better."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Marry Deirdre?"

"Gods, no. But you could've stood up to your dad a little more instead of just taking off. When you're Chief -"

"Now you sound like him."

The two fell silent.

"I'm gonna go talk to Mom," Hiccup eventually said. Before Astrid could respond, he was already turning around. Once he reached the sanctuary, he dismounted Toothless and began searching for Valka. "Mom! Mom!"

"I'm over here," Valka called.

Hiccup turned a corner to see his mother sitting with a baby Scuttleclaw. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, dear. Come sit."

Accepting the invitation, he began with, "So, I was talking to Astrid, and she thinks I should go back to the Edge and Berk. But if I go back, Dad's gonna look at me with that disappointed scowl and tell me how I disobeyed him and ruined the alliance with the Berserkers by not going along with the wedding. And the worst part is, he's still gonna make me get married to Deirdre, and that's the last thing I want!"

"Shh. Settle, dear. It's okay." Valka rubbed her son's back and kissed his head, just as she used to do when he needed soothing as a baby.

"And everyone keeps bringing the whole Chief thing into this. Mom, I'm not ready to be Chief. I don't _want_ to be Chief. I can't possibly control the entire island of Berk, especially while married to a wife that I don't even love. Why can't I just stay with you and we can go fight Drago and protect the dragons?"

"You _can_ stay with me, son."

"But Astrid doesn't want to stay, and I can't...I can't do that to her. She already made it clear that she's not leaving until I do, and even if she were to leave on her own, well...I'd miss her too much. But at the same time, I don't know what the point is if we can't even get married."

"You really love her, don't you?"

Hiccup nodded shyly. "Do you...do you understand? Could you come with me and help me talk to Dad?"

She shook her head. "Your father doesn't listen to me. That's half the reason why I didn't go back. I wanted to go back for you, Hiccup, I wanted to bring you here...but I knew he'd never let me. I mean, I loved him, but he just...he was too stubborn. I figured I was better off alone."

"You know, he still misses you. He talks about you all the time."

Valka's eyes grew wide. "He does? He never thought about re-marrying?"

"No. Gobber has suggested it to him a few times, but he's always just laughed. He's been going on the hope that you're still alive, which you clearly are. He's even looked for you several times."

Valka was silent.

"Please, Mom. We can be a family, and maybe he'll remember what it's like to have a wife he loves and he won't make me marry Deirdre."

"I can't. Not after all these years." Valka paused. "You two dears should just stay with me for a few weeks, give him some time to think through the marriage more."

"Hiccup!" That was Astrid. "Hiccup!"

Hiccup and Valka both rushed in the direction of the blonde to see her collapsed on the ground, out of breath. Dirt was smeared all over her face, and Stormfly was standing over her.

"Astrid! What...what happened?"

"The dragon hunters. They...they tried to take Stormfly. They shot something at her that made her lose control of herself. We both fell. I...I managed to bring her back here, but I don't know if she's okay."

"Are _you_ okay?"

"I don't care about myself. I just care about her." She clutched her middle.

"I'll take a look at Stormfly," Valka assured, placing a comforting hand on the Nadder's nose. "Hiccup, you take care of Astrid."

Hiccup held out a hand to help Astrid stand, but she insisted she could do it on her own. She half-walked, half-limped to the hut, all the way trying to tell her friend that she was fine. However, upon getting inside, she laid down on the bed and curled up into a ball, again clutching her middle.

"You're not fine, Astrid."

"Yes, I am." The blonde sat up and began removing her shoes and armor. Once that was done, she turned her back to Hiccup and took off her top, leaving her only in bindings and leggings.

"What's wrong?"

"My ribs are just a little bruised. It's nothing. Really."

The auburn-haired Viking gasped as he caught sight of dark bruises forming on Astrid's middle. "That's not nothing, Astrid," he corrected. "You need ointment. And your leg?"

"It's just a sprained ankle, I think."

Hiccup could tell by her swollen right foot that she was probably right. "We need to wrap it," he insisted.

Astrid nodded in agreement and rolled up her leggings. "Can you give me my extra bindings?" she asked. "They're in my bag."

"You sure you wanna use those? What if you need to change the ones you're wearing? I'll get you some wrappings from my emergency kit. I'll be right back." He went outside and retrieved Toothless' saddle bag, then hurried back to Astrid. "Now, I'll wrap your ankle and you put some of this ointment on your bruises." He handed her a small flask before settling onto the bed and propping her ankle up onto his leg. After putting on the wrappings, he ran his fingers across her foot, admiring the scars that rested there.

"I wanna go see Stormfly now," Astrid said, putting the ointment aside and replacing her shirt.

"I'll bring her to you. Just rest for now."

To Hiccup's surprise, the blonde didn't argue. Instead, she just mumbled a thank you and reclined against the pillow.

"Hey, Astrid, in...in case you doze off, I just wanna -"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanna say sorry for getting upset with you earlier. I just...I just have a lot on my mind. I...I do value what you have to say, even if it's not exactly what I want to hear, so please...don't stop giving me your opinion. Okay?" He covered her hand with his.

"I'm not mad, Hiccup. And if you know anything about me, you'd know that I'll never stop giving my opinion. I'm not exactly the quiet type."

The auburn-haired Viking grinned. "I know, Astrid. Now get some rest while I go check on Stormfly."


	7. Chapter 7

**_Chapter 7_**

 ** _..._**

Letting out a pained moan, Astrid struggled in vain to get comfortable. Every time she moved, the pain in her ribs grew increasingly sharper. Two days had passed since her accident, and it seemed that her bruises hurt more while healing than they had while fresh. Luckily, Stormfly hadn't been as affected as she had; the Nadder had managed to escape the accident with only a few scrapes.

"Astrid?" Hiccup's eyes cracked open. "You okay?"

"No." The word fell out of her mouth before she could think. "I mean, yes, I...I'm fine."

The auburn-haired Viking rested a hand on her arm. "You're in pain, aren't you?"

Astrid pursed her lips as she turned her gaze away from Hiccup.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes." Hiccup quickly fastened his metal leg, then slid off the bed and made his way outside. Walking over to Valka, who was asleep with Cloudjumper's wings wrapped protectively around her, he whispered, "Mom, wake up."

Valka opened her eyes. "What's wrong, son? Are you okay?"

"It's Astrid. She's in a lot of pain, and I don't know what to do."

In an instant, Valka was on her feet and heading inside the hut, Hiccup following close behind. "Poor dear," she murmured, sitting down beside the blonde and brushing her disheveled hair out of her eyes.

"It hurts," Astrid gasped, tears forming in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away before they could fall onto her cheeks.

"Where does it hurt?"

"My ribs, and...and I also have cramps from _that time_." The blonde lowered her voice at the last part so Hiccup wouldn't hear.

"Shh. It's okay, love. I'll make you some tea to help soothe the pain." Valka gave Astrid a motherly kiss on the head before moving into her little kitchen.

Hiccup took his mother's place beside Astrid. Slipping his hand around hers, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were getting worse?"

"I hate feeling helpless."

"Hey, sometimes you need a little help. Remember when I first lost my leg? I needed help for a good month. I didn't like it, but it was necessary."

Astrid sighed.

"Are your bruises at least looking any better?"

"Sort of. But they hurt more."

"And your ankle?"

"It's...it's okay, I guess. It doesn't hurt unless I walk on it."

"Well, just keep resting."

"But I don't _want_ to keep resting. I'm _tired_ of resting."

Hiccup chuckled as he shook his head. "I know, Astrid. I'm sure you are, but sometimes...sometimes you just need to rest."

The blonde responded with an eye roll.

It wasn't long before Valka was finished making the tea. "Here you go, dear," she said, holding out a cracked mug for the younger Viking to take. "Drink that. And in the morning, I'll show you where to find a warm stream. A hot bath will do you good, too. It'll take away some of the stiffness."

Astrid slowly sat up and grabbed the mug. "Thanks, Valka," she said before taking a sip of the drink. It was bitter, but she knew it would help, so she tried to ignore the bad taste.

"No problem, dear. Just come get me if you need anything else." With that, the older woman went back outside.

After forcing herself to finish the tea, Astrid trudged out of the hut to change her rags before climbing back into bed. As the tea started to work its magic and her pain slowly began to lessen, she felt one of Hiccup's arms gently wind around her. His free hand caressed her disheveled hair, a gesture that eventually lulled her to sleep.

...

A week passed. Astrid's ribs were feeling slightly better, were ultimately still in pain, and her ankle wasn't quite healed enough for riding Stormfly. She'd just finished a relaxing bath, and was now helping Valka feed the dragons while Hiccup took Toothless for a quick flight. Biting her lip, she debated whether or not she should tell the older woman what had been on her mind lately. More specifically, she wondered if she should tell her what had been on her mind regarding _Hiccup_. Sure, Ruffnut had illuminated some things for her, but Astrid wanted the input of someone older, someone more experienced, someone who had actually fallen in love before.

Taking a deep breath, the blonde cautiously asked, "Valka, could I...could I ask you something?"

"Of course, dear," Valka replied, caressing a Hobblegrunt's nose.

"How...how did you know when it was the right time for you to marry Stoick?"

The older woman smiled. "I can't really give you an answer, dear. It's too hard to explain. I just _knew_."

"So there's no way to tell?"

"Oh, there is. You'll know when you don't have to ask me about it." Valka smiled.

Astrid managed to smile back. After a pause, she said, "I'm just...I'm just torn. I wanted to be a shieldmaiden since I was little, but then Hiccup came along and I want to marry him, but I...I'm not ready. And I feel bad that I'm not ready because he seems to be. He told me he could stand to wait a little longer, but I think he's just saying that because of me. I mean, he's talked to me about marriage twice."

"Do you love him?"

The blonde's cheeks grew red as she nodded. "I do love him, but I just...well, apart from the whole shield maiden thing, I...I..." She trailed off, embarrassed.

"What is it, dear?"

"I'm not sure about having sex." Astrid's voice came out in a whisper.

"It's normal to feel that way," Valka assured. "Most young couples are nervous about their first time."

"But it's not only that I'm nervous. It's that...it's that all my life I've been told it was wrong. You know, because I was training to be a shieldmaiden...and I just...I don't know."

"It's not wrong as long as you and Hiccup both love each other and both want to do it."

"I know." Astrid sighed. "And I _want_ to be able to do it with him. I just..." She hesitantly went on to tell Valka about the incident at the hot spring. "I guess I'm just not comfortable with myself," she finished.

"And that's okay, dear. You don't have to be completely comfortable with yourself before you have sex. I know I wasn't. And I'm sure Hiccup has some insecurities, too."

"But he doesn't have anything to be insecure about."

Valka laughed. "And I'm sure he'd say the same about you." She patted Cloudjumper. "But don't rush into it if you don't feel ready, dear. And don't feel rushed to get married, either. If Hiccup loves you - and I know that he does - he'll wait for you."

"But for how long? What if I'm not ready for another year? Or even two years?"

"Then he'll keep waiting. And if he doesn't, you'll know that he was never right for you in the first place. But I'm certain that won't be the case." Smiling, Valka laid a hand on Astrid's shoulder.

The blonde grinned before turning her attention to Stormfly. As she stroked the Nadder's nose, she hand-fed her pieces of chicken. "That's it, girl. You eat up."


	8. Chapter 8

**_Chapter 8_**

 ** _..._**

"Hiccup!"

The sound of Fishlegs' voice caught Hiccup off-guard, causing him to nearly fall off of Toothless' back as he turned to look at his friend. "Fishlegs! Wha-What are you doing here? And why are you by yourself? You should be back on the Edge with the others."

"The A-team is watching the Edge right now. The rest of us are looking for you and Astrid. You didn't think we wouldn't try to find you two when you never came home, did you?"

"Well, I uh..." The auburn-haired Viking rubbed the back of his neck.

"Where's Astrid?"

"Oh, you know, just hanging out with my mom."

"Your _mom_?" Fishlegs questioned, furrowing his eyebrows. "But she's -"

"I know, I know, she's supposed to be dead." Hiccup sighed. "Well, she's not. And I don't know where the other riders are, but you'd better get out of here. There's dragon hunters around."

"D-Dragon hunters?" Fishlegs' eyes grew wide. "But...but...I thought after Viggo -"

"So did I. But apparently Viggo wasn't the end." He went on to repeat everything Valka had told him about Drago Bludvist and his men.

"So why are you and Astrid staying here if it's that dangerous?"

Sighing, Hiccup shook his head. "I can't face my dad. At least for now. If I do, he's gonna keep planning this wedding, and that's not a risk I'm willing to take."

"Uh...Hiccup...I...I think the wedding's off. I mean, Deirdre went back to Berserker Island, and Stoick's out looking for you. I'm pretty sure it's safe to go back."

"Fishlegs!" Tuffnut shouted. He and Snotlout, both seated on Hookfang's back, appeared in the distance. Barf and Belch flew beside them. "Oh, there you are, H. We were looking for you. Thought you were dead. But anyhow, you guys gotta help us!" He threw his hands into the air. "Ruffnut...Ruffnut just got captured!"

"What?" Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Ruffnut is captured!" repeated Tuffnut, raising his voice. "I repeat, Ruffnut is captured!"

"The dragon hunters," Hiccup muttered under his breath. Louder, he said, "Alright. You three follow the hunters' ship. I'll go get my mom. She'll be able to help us."

"You want us to go? Without you?" questioned Fishlegs.

"Yes, go. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"But -"

"You'll be fine, Fishlegs. I have confidence in you!" Hiccup called as he flew away towards Valka's dragon sanctuary. Upon landing in the midst of eating dragons, he jumped off of Toothless and shouted, "Mom! Mom!"

"What is it, dear?" Valka asked, hurrying over to her son.

"The dragon hunters. My friends came looking for me, and the dragon hunters captured Ruffnut. We need your help."

"I'm coming, too." Coming to stand beside Valka, Astrid crossed her arms over her chest.

Hiccup sighed. "But Astrid, your ankle is still -"

"I said that I'm coming with you. You didn't think I'd stay here alone while everyone else is going on a dangerous adventure, did you?" The blonde narrowed her eyes.

Hiccup sighed. "Okay, okay, fine. Come with us. Just...just be careful." He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I will," smiled Astrid, covering his hand with her own. "Now let's get to it."

"Mom, there is something I need to warn you about," Hiccup began as he flew into the air with Valka and Astrid.

"I think I have a plan," came Valka's response.

"No, Mom. It doesn't have anything to do with the dragon hunters. It has to do with -"

"Hiccup!"

The little group turned around to see Stoick flying behind them on Skullcrusher.

"Dad, uh...I can...I can explain," The auburn-haired Viking ran a hand through his hair.

Stoick didn't seem to hear his son. Instead, his focus was on Valka, who was looking at him with wide eyes and parted lips. "Val," he whispered, urging his dragon over to his wife. "Val, is it...how is this possible? I thought...I thought you were dead."

Valka shied away from her husband's gaze. "Please don't be angry, Stoick. We both know I had to leave. For Hiccup's sake. I couldn't kill a dragon. I couldn't even watch you kill dragons. And I couldn't bear to see my son grow up to kill dragons, either. I wasn't meant to be a Berkian. And you and Hiccup deserved better."

"I'm not angry, Val." Stoick pressed his large hand against Valka's cheek. "I'm just glad you're safe." He then turned to Hiccup. "And you, son. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Dad. Just so long as you're not gonna make me marry Deirdre. But for now, we need to get to Ruffnut."

"To _Ruffnut_? Where is she?" asked Stoick.

"The dragon hunters have her."

"Who?"

"You have a lot of catching up to do," Hiccup said.

...

When the little group arrived at the dreaded ship, Snotlout and Tuffnut were seated on a flaming Hookfang, shouting threats to the hunters. Fishlegs was off to the side, cowering in fear as a hunter attempted to lasso Meatlug with a dragon-proof rope.

"What in the name of Thor is going on here?" Stoick demanded.

"Chief!" Fishlegs exclaimed. He began flying to Stoick, only to be thrown from Meatlug as the hunter caught him off guard and captured the Gronckle.

"Fishlegs!" Hiccup prompted Toothless to dive, causing him to catch Fishlegs on his back.

"My Meatlug!" exclaimed Fishlegs, clapping a hand over his mouth. "Oh Thor, not my Meatlug!"

"I'll get her." With that, Stoick charged forward.

"Stop!" The hunter held up his hand. "Do you realize who you're dealing with?"

The dragon riders grew silent, watching in confusion as the stranger flexed his muscles.

"I am Eret, son of Eret," he eventually said, pointing to himself with his thumb. "The finest dragon trapper alive. And if you try to take this Gronckle, or any other of the dragons on this ship, I am going to -"

"Enough!" Hiccup shouted.

Eret abandoned his thought, instead turning his bewildered eyes towards Hiccup. "Is that a Night Fury? Oh, Drago will be -"

"Drago?" interrupted Stoick. "Drago who?"

"Why, Drago Bludvist. How many other dragon trappers are there up in these parts?"

Stoick's face turned to stone. "Drago Bludvist," he growled, balling his hands into tight fists.

"What's wrong, Dad?" asked Hiccup.

The Chief shook his head. "Drago Bludvist is a bad man, with no conscious or mercy. He murdered all the chiefs at a tribe meeting before you were born. That is, all of them except for me. He's cold-blooded and deadly, and if we don't get Ruffnut out of there -" He broke off as Astrid landed on the ship's deck and slipped down a ladder, Stormfly quickly rising back into the air before any of the dragon hunters noticed what had happened.

Biting his lip, Hiccup quickly dove after the blonde, sneaking Toothless below deck while Eret was distracted by Stoick. "Ruffnut!" he whispered as he caught sight of the trapped Viking. Astrid was struggling to undo the lock.

"Have you guys seen Eret?" Ruffnut asked, her eyes wide. "He's just so perfect, and I miss looking at his biceps. I mean, it's only been twenty minutes, but -"

"Ruffnut, we don't have time to gossip right now," hissed Astrid. "Let's just get you out of here before we get caught."

"Wanna help us out, bud?" Hiccup asked, prompting Toothless to fire a plasma blast.

Ruffnut folded her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "The bars are dragon-proof, idiot."

"If only Gobber and Grump were here," muttered Hiccup. Louder, he said, "Astrid, you don't have any Changewing acid, do you?"

Astrid shook her head. "Not on me."

"If you take my son, you have to take me, too!" Stoick's voice boomed.

Hiccup and Astrid turned to see the large Viking crashing onto the floor, his axe in his hand. Eret came after him, holding a sword to the his neck.

"Eret, no!" Hiccup shouted. Toothless fired an accompanying blast.

"Don't order me around, you do-gooder dragon rider." Eret wrinkled his nose.

"I'm not ordering you around. I just...well, you know, I think that Drago would give you more credit if you brought all of us do-gooder dragon riders to him in one piece."

"And you know, Eret," Ruffnut cut in. "I'd...I mean, _we'd_ love to spend some quality time with you."

The hunter loosened his grip on the sword. "I doubt you guys are looking to spend quality time with me, but the skinny boy with the oversized head has a point. I'll take the four of you with me."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 9_**

 ** _..._**

Astrid groaned as she shifted into a more comfortable position and leaned against Hiccup's shoulder.

"You okay?" the auburn-haired Viking whispered.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired of being on this ship," Astrid replied.

"How can you be tired of being here with Eret?" Ruffnut cut in. "I mean, I could look at those muscles all day." She let out a contented sigh as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand and focused on the dragon hunter, who was hauling barrels of fish to the ship's hold. "And those tattoos on his arms? Yes, please."

"Ruffnut!" Stoick snapped.

Ruffnut turned her head towards the large Viking. "Yeah, Chief?"

"That's enough."

"Oh, fine." Rolling her eyes, Ruffnut hugged her knees to her chest.

"How's your ankle?" Hiccup asked Astrid.

"It's...it's okay," Astrid shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, Hiccup."

Taking a deep breath, Hiccup cautiously placed an arm around Astrid's shoulders. To his surprise, she didn't protest. Instead, she simply relaxed against him and closed her eyes. As she did so, Toothless curled up beside her and rested his head in her lap.

"Aww, bud," Hiccup smiled, leaning over to pat the Night Fury between the ears. "Are you tired, too?"

Toothless responded by letting out a small grunt and closing his eyes.

It wasn't long before Astrid, Toothless, and Ruffnut were asleep. Astrid gripped Hiccup's tunic in her sleep, Ruffnut fell onto Toothless' back, and Toothless was twitching his feet, something Hiccup assumed was happening because of a dream. The auburn-haired Viking himself was exhausted, but couldn't seem to get comfortable enough to sleep. There was always the lingering fear that if he closed his eyes for even fifteen minutes, something would happen to either Stoick or Toothless. Astrid and Ruffnut could be targets, too, but he was almost positive that his family was in the most danger.

"You can't sleep, either, son?" Stoick asked softly as he slid closer to Hiccup.

"No. I just...I just don't know what's gonna happen. I mean, I know Drago is after all the dragons, and now I know that you apparently have a history with him, and I...I've always had a plan in the past, but this time..." He trailed off.

Stoick placed a large hand on his son's shoulder. "It's okay, Hiccup. You don't always have to have a plan. And sometimes, you have a plan and that plan falls apart. And by the way, I find it hard to believe that the lass said no to your marriage proposal." He nodded in Astrid's direction.

"Yeah, well...she...she said she's just not ready," Hiccup replied with a blush.

"It's a shame. She'd make a wonderful second-in-command."

"I know, but if she's not ready, I'm not gonna force her into anything." He curled his fingers around Astrid's hand. And besides, I don't think I wanna become Chief anytime soon."

"You have to be more confident in yourself, son. You have the skills of a great leader, and I know you'll be a wonderful Chief someday."

Hiccup managed to smile. "Thanks, Dad."

...

"Get up!" shouted Eret, shaking Astrid awake. "All of you."

"What -" Astrid slowly lifted her head from Hiccup's shoulder.

"Get up," repeated Eret. "We're here."

"Good morning, handsome," Ruffnut said, grinning at Eret. "How did you sleep?"

"I didn't," Eret responded bluntly.

Before anyone could utter another word, a huge figure appeared in the entryway. His dark, matted hair hung over his ears, and his crooked lips parted to reveal a set of yellowed teeth.

"Drago," Stoick whispered.

"Stoick, Chief of Berk," Drago growled before turning to Eret. "And you. I told you that if you ever found him, you were to kill him. And where's the dragon rider?"

"These _are_ the dragon riders, sir," replied Eret. "And lots of 'em, too."

"No, I'm talking about _the_ dragon rider. The one on the Stormcutter. The one who controls the Alpha."

"But Drago, I brought you Stoick the Vast...and his son...and the Night Fury. You know, so you can make yourself a new cape." Eret gestured to Drago's Night Fury skin cape.

Toothless growled.

"Woah, easy there, bud," Hiccup said, placing a hand on Toothless' head.

"Give me the Night Fury!" Drago demanded, turning his attention to Hiccup.

"No!" Hiccup protested. "If you take the Night Fury, you have to take me first."

"And if you think you're gonna hurt my son, you have to go through me," Stoick added, clenching his hands into fists. "I'm not afraid to fight you again, you know."

"Alright, slow down, Dad," Hiccup said as he rose to his feet. "Drago, will you give me a chance to show you how amazing dragons are? I know where you're coming from. I lived amongst a whole island of people who killed dragons for centuries, and I changed their minds. Just...just give me a chance to change yours."

Drago pulled a whip from his belt. "How _dare_ you talk to me like that," he growled, advancing towards the smaller Viking.

"No!" Astrid shouted, pushing Hiccup out of the way and barreling into Drago. Taking him by surprise, she knocked him off his feet and pinned him to the floor. "If you lay one finger on Hiccup, I'm gonna cut off your head!" She pried the whip from his fingers and cracked it on his shoulder.

Drago lifted a hand and slapped Astrid's cheek. "You think you're a strong one, do you? Well, we'll see how strong you are."

"Don't hit the lass," Stoick commanded. Grabbing an axe from Eret's hand, he crept up to Drago and held the blade over his heart. "I dare you to make one more -"

He was interrupted by Toothless, who opened his mouth to fire a plasma blast.

"Watch out, Astrid!" warned Stoick as he flipped the axe around and struck Drago's head with the handle, causing the ominous Viking to fall unconscious.

Astrid jumped off of Drago.

"Toothless, no!" Hiccup held out his hand to stop the Night Fury.

"Coming in hot!" a voice sounded from the deck.

"All thanks to Snot!" another voice said.

"Tuff? Snotlout?" Ruffnut called.

"No, don't fire! Hiccup and the others are down there!" Valka commanded.

"Fine. Whatever you say, Mrs. Haddock," Tuffnut said. "I'll just go down and -"

"Meatlug? Meaty, where are you?" Fishlegs asked as he climbed below deck, Tuffnut following close behind. "Where's Meatlug?" He fixed a glare on Eret. "And what have you done with her?"

"Relax, Fishlegs," Ruffnut cut in. "Don't bother my man."

"But he has Meatlug!" protested Fishlegs.

"Come here, Hiccup!" Tuffnut gestured towards the ladder that led to the deck.

"Dad, Astrid, come on!" Hiccup shouted. "You too, Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs!"

"No, I'm not leaving here without my Meatlug!" Fishlegs crossed his arms over his chest.

"Brother!"

Hiccup turned to see Dagur rounding the corner, his arms open. "What in the name of Thor? Where did you...where did you come from?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Oh, give me a hug, brother!" Dagur captured Hiccup in a bone-crushing embrace.

"Dagur, I don't think it's time for -" Hiccup broke off as he saw Fishlegs creeping up the ladder behind Meatlug. Shattermaster trailed after them.

"Wait!" called Eret, hurrying behind the plump Viking. "I won't let you escape!"

"Dad, stop!" Hiccup grabbed Stoick's arm and attempted to guide the axe away from Drago's chest. "Killing isn't the answer. We need to try to reason with him."

"Men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with, son," Stoick argued. "Now go!"

Hiccup remained frozen in his place.

"I said go!" repeated Stoick. "You too, Dagur. And Astrid. Ruff, Tuff, you as well."

"Wait. what about Skullcrusher?" asked Hiccup.

"I'll get him." Stoick pushed past the dragon hunters who were watching the fight and released Skullcrusher from his cage.

"Let's hurry, Dad," Hiccup said, urging Toothless up the ladder behind Astrid.

"Hiccup!" Valka climbed off of Cloudjumper and pulled her son into a tight hug. Kissing his head, she murmured, "You're alive! Oh, thank Thor."

"Alright, riders. Mount up. We're getting out of here," commanded Hiccup.

"But Eret! I'm not leaving him!" Ruffnut insisted. She grabbed the dragon hunter's arm.

"Ruffnut!" Stoick yelled. "Now isn't the time for this. Listen to Hiccup before you get yourself killed."

"You know, babe, I'm always an option," Snotlout added, turning to wink at Ruffnut as he mounted Hookfang. "After all, I _did_ grow facial hair for you."

"Me, too," Fishlegs chimed in.

"Enough!" demanded Stoick. "Let's go!"

All the riders, including Dagur, quickly urged their dragons into the air.

"You'll regret this!" Eret shouted, throwing an arrow in the direction of the retreating group.

"Ow!" exclaimed Hiccup as a feeling of sharp pain pierced his side. "What in Thor's name -"

"Are you okay?" Astrid asked.

"The arrow...it's...it's in my...side," Hiccup gasped. "I can't..."

"Son!" Catching sight of blood soaking through Hiccup's flight suit, Stoick quickly urged Skullcrusher over to Toothless.

"Dad, he can't...he can't fly..."

"Val! Get on the Night Fury!" Stoick shouted.

Valka rushed to Toothless and jumped onto his back. As Stoick lifted Hiccup onto Skullcrusher, she forced her foot into the place where Hiccup's metal leg typically rested. "Back to my sanctuary!" she ordered.

"But won't the dragon hunters find us there?" Astrid questioned.

"Yeah, we should all go to the Edge instead," suggested Snotlout. "It's probably like...I don't know, ten times safer than some dragon sanctuary in the middle of the freaking ocean."

"It doesn't matter where the hunters are right now. What matters is that we find somewhere for Hiccup to rest," Stoick decided, glancing down at the unconscious Viking in his arms. He wanted to pull the arrow out of his side, but was afraid that Hiccup would end up bleeding more than he already was.

"He'll be okay, though, right?" asked Astrid.

"I hope so, lass," Stoick replied. "I hope so."


	10. Chapter 10

**_Chapter 10_**

 ** _..._**

The first thing Hiccup noticed when he opened his eyes was a throbbing pain in his side. The second thing he noticed was that Astrid was snuggled against his bare chest, her hand resting over his heart.

But where _were_ they?

He stared into the darkness for a few moments, alert. Once his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he realized that they were in a cave. It wasn't long after that when he noticed they was lying in a makeshift bed created from furs, which immediately alerted him that he was safe, as no enemy would bother fixing a bed for them.

Letting his guard down, he turned towards Astrid. It was then that he noticed her torso was covered only by her breast bindings, and that the warm skin of her stomach was pressed against his shivering, bandaged middle.

"Astrid?" he whispered.

The blonde's eyes cracked open. "Hiccup? Are you...are you awake?"

"Yeah, I'm awake. What...what's happening?"

"You got shot by an arrow when we were leaving the dragon hunters' ship. Stoick, Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs are looking for a nearby healer. Your mom, Snotlout, and Dagur are with Toothless in another cave. His tail is broken."

"What?" Hiccup sat straight up in bed. "Ow! Oh my Thor, what -" He clutched his side.

"Shh. He's fine. His good tail is still intact. It's just his prosthetic that doesn't work. I mean, he might have another couple scrapes from falling, but he's definitely in better shape than you are."

The auburn-haired Viking relaxed. "Where's your tunic?"

"You broke out into a fever last night, and I thought some skin contact might help." Astrid paused. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I...I don't care whether or not you're wearing it. But a fever? I'm freezing."

"You've been switching between burning up and shivering all night." Astrid reached up to brush his disheveled hair away from his forehead. "I've been worried sick. That's why I wanted to sleep with you. I mean...not sleep with you like _that_...but you know...just uh...just be here in case anything happened." She blushed.

"But Toothless...how is his tail broken?"

"You got shot in the side and were knocked out. Stoick put you on Skullcrusher, and Valka tried to ride Toothless. But you know, the control for his tail is meant for your metal leg, so while she was on him, it snapped."

"Oh, gods. And the others? Everyone else is okay, right?" Hiccup paused. "Wait, are _you_ okay? I mean, Drago _did_ hit you."

"I'm fine, Hiccup. I've dealt with more than just a slap on the cheek before. But you, on the other hand -"

"Stop worrying about me. I'll be fine. I just need to rest." The auburn-haired Viking groaned. "What time is it?"

"I'm guessing very early morning." Astrid turned to Stormfly, who was curled up against the wall. "Do you mind giving us some light, girl?"

Rising to her feet, the Nadder let out a slow stream of fire while her rider checked Hiccup's bandages. To Astrid's relief, the only blood on them was dried. "Thank Thor," she murmured before signaling Stormfly to stop firing.

"You know, that fire felt good," Hiccup remarked.

"I'm sure it did. But you know she can't keep it up for too long. It'll wear her out." Astrid settled back beneath the furs and tucked them snugly around herself and Hiccup. "Now try and get some more rest."

...

When Hiccup opened his eyes again, Astrid was gone, and a cold cloth was resting on his forehead. After a few moments, he noticed that Valka and Toothless were beside him.

"Toothless? Are you okay, bud?" Hiccup rasped, reaching out to touch the Night Fury's nose with one hand while tugging the covers over his chest with the other. While Valka was his mother, it still felt awkward to be shirtless in front of her.

"He's fine," Valka replied, placing a comforting hand on top of her son's.

"Where's...where's Astrid?"

"Astrid is eating and washing up. She hasn't left you since the accident happened, so I told her to go take care of herself."

"Thanks." Hiccup managed a small smile. "Are Dad and the other riders back?"

"Not yet, dear. But how are you feeling?" Valka brushed Hiccup's hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. "Oh Thor, you're still warm," she murmured before he had time to answer the question himself. "And I'm sure your bandages need to be changed, but I'll leave that to Astrid when she gets back. Right now, I need you to drink some water." She held out a flask.

After slowly easing himself into a sitting position, Hiccup took the object with a shaking hand and held it to his lips. At first, he took tiny sips, but the more he drank, the more he realized how thirsty he was, and switched to larger gulps. It wasn't long before the flask was empty.

"Better?" asked Valka.

Hiccup nodded. "Much better."

"You're up!" Astrid exclaimed as she entered the cave.

"Yes, he's up. I thought that maybe you could help him change his bandages," said Valka, offering Astrid a fresh piece of cloth and a bowl of salve.

"Of course." Astrid grabbed the items and knelt beside the auburn-haired Viking.

Valka rose to her feet. "Alright. I'll leave you two be, then. Do you want Toothless with you, or -"

"Yeah. Leave him with me, Mom." Hiccup scratched his dragon behind the ears, earning a deep purr.

"Alright. I'll leave him. Call me if either of you need anything." After leaning down to give her son another kiss on the forehead, Valka made her way out of the cave.

"Okay, Hiccup. Sit up so we can get this done." As Hiccup pushed himself up, Astrid quickly untied his bandages and began unwinding them from around his torso.

"How are you so good with knots?" asked Hiccup, amazed at how fast the blonde was moving.

"It's just like unknotting my bindings," shrugged Astrid. "And I do that every day. It's just as easy as braiding my hair."

"I don't understand how you do that, either." He winced as Astrid fingered his wound.

"It's looking better," she announced. "You should've probably had it stitched up, though. I mean, since you're letting it heal like this, you're gonna have one big scar."

"Like I don't already have a giant scar from my leg. Three, actually. And lots of little ones. And then there's the one on my chin." He sighed. "I think I'm just meant to be one big canvas for scars."

"Don't worry. I have my share of scars, too, and I'm sure I'm not done with them. I mean -"

"Ouch! Astrid!" Hiccup interrupted as his friend began spreading the salve onto his injury. "A little warning would've been nice!"

"Don't be a baby," teased Astrid.

"But it burns!" The auburn-haired Viking rubbed his smarting eyes.

"I'm almost done." After smearing on the remainder of the salve, Astrid expertly wound the clean bandages around the wound. Once finished, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Now, you'd better be careful to keep it clean. I'd hate to lose you to an infection." She pecked Hiccup's cheek before springing to her feet. "Alright, well, I'm gonna leave you to rest now. Remember, be careful."

And with that, the blonde was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Chapter 11_**

 ** _..._**

As soon as Astrid saw Stoick and the rest of the riders land, she rushed over to them. "Any healers?" she asked.

Sighing, Stoick shook his head. "No, lass. The only islands we found appeared to be enemy islands. How's Hiccup?"

"He's holding up. I just changed his bandages, and I think he's resting now." The blonde paused. "At least, I told him he should rest, but you know how stubborn he can be."

"I'll go check on him," Stoick offered as he dismounted Skullcrusher.

"My butt hurts," Ruffnut complained, climbing onto the ground. "I can't believe Stoick made us fly for three and a half hours straight."

"I can hear you," Stoick called over his shoulder.

Astrid rolled her eyes and rested her palms atop her hips. "Ruff, Tuff, why don't you go rest your dragon? I'm not exactly sure when we'll be leaving this island, but I imagine it'll be soon. Fishlegs, take Meatlug to rest, too. She looks exhausted."

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Fishlegs, who was still sitting on his Gronckle's back.

"Belch doesn't need rest," Tuffnut insisted. "Barf and Meatlug might, but Belch -"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Astrid tossed a glare in Tuffnut's direction. "He needs rest," she insisted before hurrying to Stoick and Hiccup.

"Um...mind if I uh...come in?" she asked, hovering in the cave entrance.

"Not at all, lass," replied Stoick. "Have a seat. We were just talking strategy."

"Strategy for what?" Astrid asked, settling onto the ground and crossing her legs.

"Getting off this island and going home without getting caught by Drago. I was telling Hiccup that since he knows we're flying dragons now, he's bound to attempt an attack on Berk. And we need to get there before he does so we can have a chance to fortify the island. But it's also risky to leave in such a large group, especially when he's onto us."

"Why don't you and Mom leave now?" suggested Hiccup. "The rest of us could follow later."

"And leave you behind while you're wounded? I wouldn't hear of it, son. We're a team."

"But if you have to go -"

"Hiccup! That's enough. Your mother and I are _not_ leaving you here and that's my final decision. Now, when do you think you'll be able to get back in the air?"

"In a day or two." The auburn-haired Viking shrugged. "But it's not me I'm concerned about. It's Toothless. I mean, I can live with pain. After all, I lost a leg. But Toothless' tail..."

"I'll go," offered Astrid.

"What?" Stoick fixed his gaze on her.

"I'll go," Astrid repeated. "Back to Berk."

"You can't go back by yourself," Hiccup insisted. "It's too dangerous."

"I won't go by myself. I'll take your mom, Fishlegs, and Dagur with me."

"And leave Hiccup and I with Snotlout and the twins?" Grunting, Stoick raised a thick eyebrow.

"Did somebody say my name?" Snotlout swung into the cave, Hookfang following close behind.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you did hear your name," said Astrid, turning in the direction of the newcomer. "We need you to stay with Stoick, Hiccup, and the twins while the rest of us head back to Berk. We'll start fortifying the island, then fly back here with a couple reinforcements. You know, just in case."

"Why don't you just send an airmail to the Edge asking the A-team to do all this for you?"

"Because we don't have any Terrors with us. And besides, if Drago would see a Terror with a note, he'd make sure the message never reached Berk."

"Uh...okay, but what am I supposed to do while I'm here?"

"Lead defenses at Stoick's orders," Astrid replied. "And keep the twins in line."

Snotlout's eyes widened. "You trust me to lead defenses?"

"Not particularly, but you're our last option."

"Last option? _Last option_?" Frowning, Snotlout placed his hands on his hips. "Okay, I'll take being the last option. I mean, at least I was actually on the list, unlike some _other_ riders." He muttered the twins' names under his breath.

"Astrid, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Stoick.

"No." The blonde shook her head. "But it's the only one I've got."

...

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Astrid?" Hiccup questioned. After a good night's sleep, he was feeling better, although he still wasn't well enough to fly.

Astrid shot a smile over her shoulder as she slipped a flask into Stormfly's saddle bag. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Just focus on taking care of yourself."

"Don't worry, brother," Dagur cut in. He laid a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "I'll make sure she stays safe. After all, she's gonna be my sister soon. I mean, so long as you two don't break up."

"What? We're not even -" Astrid began.

"Don't be ridiculous, blondie," Dagur interrupted. "I see it in your eyes. You like my brother."

Astrid groaned. "Speaking of brothers and sisters, Dagur, where's yours?"

"My what?"

"Your sister."

"If you're talking about Heather the Unhinged, she's not my sister anymore. Didn't you hear what that girl did to me?" Dagur clenched his hands into tight fists. "She left the Berserkers to work for Drago. _She's_ the reason he captured Shattermaster. She also led an attack on Berserker Island. Oh, and did I mention that she wants to overthrow me?" He shook his head.

"Heather did all that? I can't believe it," gasped Fishlegs. "She was always so sweet, so trustworthy, so _loyal_."

"Yeah, well it turned out to be an act." Dagur frowned.

"Are we almost ready?" asked Valka.

"Yes, ma'am," Fishlegs replied, climbing onto his dragon's back. "Meatlug and I are ready to go!"

"Ready!" Dagur announced, mounting Shattermaster.

"Just a second!" called Astrid. After attaching the saddle bag to Stormfly's saddle, she approached Hiccup and quickly pecked his cheek. "Try not to worry too much, okay?"

"You know I'll worry whether I'm trying to or not, Astrid." The auburn-haired Viking rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just...it's what I do."

For a few brief seconds, their eyes locked together, green against blue.

"Well, I'd better go." Astrid climbed into Stormfly's saddle. "See you when I see you."

Hiccup watched the four dragon riders rise into the air, and smiled to himself as Astrid took the lead. She was a natural leader - something he admired about her. He could just imagine what it would be like chiefing alongside her. He'd toss around ideas, and she'd talk him out of the mutton-headed ones. She'd lead attacks while he sat back and tried to conduct peaceful negotiations. She'd keep the Berkians in order during winter food rations.

 _She should be Chief,_ he told himself.

"What's wrong, son?" Stoick's voice cut into his thoughts.

Hiccup turned to face his father. "Oh, nothing. Just...just thinking."

"About Astrid?"

"Well...uh...yeah," the auburn-haired Viking admitted.

"I've been thinking a lot, too," said Stoick. "But about your mother." He shook his head. "I'd like us to be a family again. Me, you, and Val. But I know the chances of that happening aren't very high. If only..." He sighed. "If only I would've listened to her more. But I didn't, and I ended up losing her. And because I lost her, you had to grow up without a mother."

"Yeah, but at least we know she's alive now. Right?"

"Right. But I was also hoping that we could start over again. Would you want that?"

"You mean, have you and Mom both on Berk? Yes!" exclaimed Hiccup, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Good." Stoick smiled and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Now, all we have left to do is ask her."


End file.
